Lets talk about our favorite Winter Waxes

Wowo`s Crystal Sealant would be what I would suggest or recommend if not going the coating route. So much better than Powerlock etc. Use it all over the car, wheels, glass, paint, plastics. Do 2 layers, and for me it lasts a wet, salty, windy winter very easily. You can of course top it if you want with a wax, though I prefer not to. The product will last by itself. However, as I`ve been using this for a long time and am confident of its longevity I like to use a snowfoam lance applied rinse sealant at some maintenance washes to keep all the surfaces top notch. Autoglym Coat It is what I use though there are more and more coming out.

On the topic of sealants, waxes and sub coating `ceramics`, I found this interesting - https://youtu.be/bGAHI0xruwU
 
Accumulator said:
Our conditions are simply *AWFUL* as in "can`t tell what color the vehicle is" after a few uses. And I`ll let the cleanups go if I have other things to do. IOW, between the weather and my, uhm...neglect (no excuses since I have the climate-controlled facilities :o )...IMO it`s an absolute torture test.

How many layers/applications of FK1000P are you generally using?
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70 miles a day on I90, 271, 480 & 77...the perfect LSP killer!
 
This morning I washed both of my vehicles and so far I`m not impressed with the Jescar Powerlock/845 combo. I have used them separately but after hearing all of the hype I thought I would try the combo. I will continue testing the combo and see what the results will be this winter but as of now I wouldn`t waste my time with this combo.

As for the polish Angel Cosmic Spritz.... I love it! It looks and beads exactly the same as the day I applied it. I hope it continues during the winter. I can`t believe how easy it is to use and the results are fantastic!
 
skibik said:
I would gather when you get snow it isn`t quite as cold as it gets this far north so I suppose you get all the slop to drive in every time it snows..
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Exactly! Really *cold* weather is generally a benefit to me, stuff stays a whole lot easier to clean up.

John U said:
I’m confused. All this talk about 845 wax and longevity. What about all the Sio2, ceramic and others. So “old school” lasts longer then the new kids on the block? What am I missing?
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As wannafbody noted, we`ve kinda stuck with "waxes" (natural and synthetic, which to me means "sealants") if only because of the title of the thread (heh heh, I haven`t taken it off-topic so far!).

Old-tech stuff can still be perfectly good. E.g., FK1000P has been around *forever*, just under most people`s radar (it was under mine for decades).

Heh heh, when "sealants" first hit the market, I was disappointed that the first few I tried didn`t really do *anything* any better, or even as well, as the waxes people had been using since the `50s! I thought I was getting bad batches of the new stuff or something...

As for 845, I have some areas on some vehicles where *nothing* else I`ve ever tried will work OK. Those areas are, uhm...compromised...and probably wouldn`t get much attention from most people, but for me the 845 is a virtual necessity. And !oh man! is it just *SO* user-friendly, great on trim, pretty much foolproof stuff.

BudgetPlan1- Your commute is *VERY* similar to what ours were before we retired! Yeah, other than when I layered KSG to a, uhm...unusual extreme...I had to do a quickie rewaxing now and then to get through the winter. BUT...note I wasn`t using FK1000P then, just Collinites and M16.

Get this- for years I was using *Souveran* on dailies that did that sort of commute. Yep, even in the winter :o Rewaxed `em at every wash, both my VW wagon and my wife`s S4. Every. [Freakin`]. Weekend. Finally gave up and just used the Collinite/M16 on everything, even though it never looked as good.
 
John U said:
I’m confused. All this talk about 845 wax and longevity. What about all the Sio2, ceramic and others. So “old school” lasts longer then the new kids on the block? What am I missing?
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I think it depends on what you`re talking about.

When you say, "ceramic". if you`re talking about a no-kidding ceramic coating like CQuartz UK, there is no contest. The coating will last far longer. Even "lite" coatings like CanCoat will last twice as long as an sealant I`ve tried. But that wasn`t focus of the thread.

If you`re talking about some of the SiO2 infused waxes, they haven`t been around that long and most people here seem to use either coatings or stick to a quality product they know and have used in the past. Honestly, I don`t think an SiO2 infused wax/sealant, will last any longer than a tradition sealant, but the SiO2 will give it characteristics which are more coating-like. It isn`t really a matter of the "new kids" not being as durable as the "old school" product, but simply the fact the durability between the two really isn`t any different. They only differ in other characteristics.

That is the whole reason I`m going to test out the Wolfgang SiO2 sealant this winter on my car. I`ve never used a product like it before, and since I have some on hand, it`s going to be tested.
 
John U said:
I’m confused. All this talk about 845 wax and longevity. What about all the Sio2, ceramic and others. So “old school” lasts longer then the new kids on the block? What am I missing?
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I have been posting here off and on since 2002 and have been detailing cars since I was a kid during the 80`s. I have seen so many products come and go and products that have been over hyped. If I add up all of the money that I have spent on chasing the "latest and greatest" I could have bought a Porsche or a Ferrari. I have been disappointed so many times that some of us always go back to products that just work since Plenty of these new products offer no protection to bird droppings, bugs, winter road salt or other contaminants.
There is a reason so many people that live in the snow region always go back to products like Colinite, FK1000p and Soft99 Fusso. They just work and protect.
My neighbor has been using Soft99 Fusso and 1 coat will last 1 year on his Ford F150 that is parked outside and only washed at car washes... It`s insane. So yes many of the old school products will outlast the new products and offer better protection at a fraction of the cost.
The one thing that I have noticed with the new products is that the prices have gone up and the shelf life has dropped.

I am trying the Polish Angel Cosmic Spritz on top of Polish Angel Primer Spritz. The claim on that combo is 12 months....So far it looks great...I hope it will last the beating that the winters here in Wisconsin can give. If it survives it will be my new go to product!
 
Desertnate said:
If you`re talking about some of the SiO2 infused waxes, they haven`t been around that long and most people here seem to use either coatings or stick to a quality product they know and have used in the past. Honestly, I don`t think an SiO2 infused wax/sealant, will last any longer than a tradition sealant, but the SiO2 will give it characteristics which are more coating-like. It isn`t really a matter of the "new kids" not being as durable as the "old school" product, but simply the fact the durability between the two really isn`t any different. They only differ in other characteristics.
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I think this is a good, accurate assessment of the ‘ceramic infused’ products. They won’t particularly last longer than good traditional sealants/waxes, their main advantage is the water behavior. In northern winters I think most people aren’t washing much or expecting the car to stay very clean. So the self-cleaning may not be much advantage to some.
 
Fskof said:
I have been posting here off and on since 2002 and have been detailing cars since I was a kid during the 80`s. I have seen so many products come and go and products that have been over hyped. If I add up all of the money that I have spent on chasing the "latest and greatest" I could have bought a Porsche or a Ferrari. I have been disappointed so many times that some of us always go back to products that just work since Plenty of these new products offer no protection to bird droppings, bugs, winter road salt or other contaminants.
There is a reason so many people that live in the snow region always go back to products like Colinite, FK1000p and Soft99 Fusso. They just work and protect.
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Fskof,

Your history reflects mine except I was a kid in late 60`s making my parents drive me to the 25 cent wash in the winter to wash their cars! :D

Reading the info on Colinite 845, sounds like an interesting product with it`s UV protection to try when I`m back in AZ where the sun just bakes a finish.... I do not participate in winters now so I "wax" year round. Since I`m "knee deep" in various products too, I`m thinking of using some one my "sealants" as base coats and try some 845 on top....... but I have Double Black Bead, Zaino, CMagic, Pinnacle Signature, etc, etc all begging to see a surface!!!

I guess I need to start "buffing" more of the neighbors cars! They love it when I tell`em I need to test out a new wax and their vehicle is my next victim.... I buff, they wipe.
 
If you`re talking about some of the SiO2 infused waxes, they haven`t been around that long and most people here seem to use either coatings or stick to a quality product they know and have used in the past. Honestly, I don`t think an SiO2 infused wax/sealant, will last any longer than a tradition sealant, but the SiO2 will give it characteristics which are more coating-like. It isn`t really a matter of the "new kids" not being as durable as the "old school" product, but simply the fact the durability between the two really isn`t any different. They only differ in other characteristics.


Think of it this way. Polymers are linked chains. The chain is only as strong as it`s weakest link. Maybe a bit of an oversimplification but blended waxes tend to not last as long as cross linked polymers.
 
Back in the day when I was station in Ohio, the 2 products I use were Collinite or The Twins. These were the only 2 that work well me.
 
Old Pirate said:
Back in the day when I was station in Ohio, the 2 products I use were Collinite or The Twins. These were the only 2 that work well me.
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Still my number 2 and 3 choices.

KSG can really be something if you get enough layers on there, a literally discernible build-film that can protect against light contacts/etc. causing marring. Only conventional product I`ve ever used that I can say that about, which is why I still use it on some exterior plastics.
 
I use 3 coats of them on my old 65 Buick Electra 225 when I was there. What a tank, didn`t even need snowtires!
 
Old Pirate said:
I use 3 coats of them on my old 65 Buick Electra 225 when I was there. What a tank, didn`t even need snowtires!
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Wow my dad had a 64 Buick Electra 225 when I was a kid. It was the family car until my sister was born (child number 4) and he had to sell it for a van.
 
Old Pirate said:
I use 3 coats of them on my old 65 Buick Electra 225 when I was there. What a tank, didn`t even need snowtires!
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My parents had 4 225’s (65, 2 66’s and a 69) and I detailed the neighbors ‘63 Continental once a year. That’s why my rotator cuffs hurt!
 
If you live in an area that uses salt or calcium chloride as a de-icer in the winter and you drive the same vehicle year after year in that area, it will rust. Unless you are fastidious about washing it off after driving it through such treated roads when it snows or there is ice, it will inevitably rust.

Here is another "misnomer" about winter-driven vehicles: such vehicles experience less rust when kept in heated garages. That simply is not true. If fact they may experience MORE rust due to the fact that the water and salt salt chemical reaction that takes place happens more readily in a warmer temperature. like a heated garage. and hence, my reference to fastidious washing of a vehicle.

Anyone who has driven in winter weather where it snows and is then followed by sub-zero temperatures know their vehicles look like winter-white ermines (Northern weasels whose fur changes to white in the winter) and stays that way until it warms up, when car washes are open. Little rusting takes place in such cold weather. Rust happens in warmer weather or heated garages.


Does waxing help "preserve" a paint/clear coat surface from the effects of winter salt and the chemical reaction with water/moisture? Yes, to some degree. But it will not stop the eventual and inevitable rust of today`s unibody vehicles.
Now if some vehicle manufacture comes out with a carbon-fiber frame, stainless steel running gear and plastic panels, that may negate that statement. Just don`t ask about the purchase price because most of us could not afford it anyway.
 
Lonnie said:
Anyone who has driven in winter weather where it snows and is then followed by sub-zero temperatures know their vehicles look like winter-white ermines (Northern weasels whose fur changes to white in the winter) and stays that way until it warms up, when car washes are open.
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This is any of my cars. They are never totally clean between December and late March. Things will range from totally salt-encrusted to I-just-drove-it-through-a-touchless-wash-to-knock-the-salt-off.
 
Just FWIW...I keep ours in heated garages and I don`t always clean the salt/etc. off immediately by a long shot. Yet...basically no problems (if the Tahoe hasn`t rusted out yet after all those winters..).

I`ve had *one* vehicle rust out. Just one, and we keep our Dailies a long, long time. (That was the Mazda MPV, and it rusted from the inside-out, in areas where they all do if they get wet a lot, including areas that didn`t get the salt, because of a manufacturing defect.)

Not saying my experience is typical, or that nobody else oughta be concerned about such stuff or or or, just sayin` ;) And when I do get around to washing things I am indeed fastidious about all those areas that retain [stuff].

One thing that`s *NEVER* been a problem is surface rust. I`ve let to-the-metal chips and frames/etc. that lost their paint go for ages, but that has *NEVER* resulted in the rust actually getting serious. Not once.

EH...I bet my "I let it go for a long time.." isn`t as bad as I think. That, and the way I wash when I do finally get around to it, might explain my apparent good luck ;)

And I know better than to drive the Crown Vic in the salt. But OTOH, I drove the Jag of all things in the winter numerous times and had to leave it salty for extended periods. No, it didn`t/hasn`t rusted out either, but yeah...probably pure luck.
 
Rust!!!!

One of those fore mentioned `66 225`s was kept until 1971.... I was already a "Bondo artist" at 15 yrs old when that car was 4 years old. The lower rear quarter panels behind the fender skirts were already rusted thru!!! This was in Michigan and salt was apparently cheap. Every spring I`d try a new technique with fiberglass & cloth with Bondo on top. The car was midnight blue with a fat piece of chrome trim down the side. To make color blending easy I painted the lowers black.

Kit Wax on the body. Pledge on the tires.

It was always a dream to see some rust free cars in the west. Now I live that dream and marvel over seeing old, original 60 year old Buicks that are not rust eaten away.
 
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